Cold High

The warmest high temperature this month has only been 62 degrees recorded on October 18. Since 1881 only one other October, 1925, has recorded a cooler monthly maximum when the warmest temperature that October was only 60 degrees.

We have experienced some seasonally cold mornings this month, including a record low of 17 degrees on the 13th and a 21 degrees low on the 12th, but our average daily minimum so far this month has been 34 degrees which is right at the long-term October average. Instead, it has been our daily maximums that have made this month one of the top ten coldest on record. Our average daily high temperature so far this month has been 47 degrees which is 11 degrees below the October average of 58 degrees.

It is likely we will finish this month approximately six degrees below normal with that entire anomaly being attributed to our cold daily maximums.

Global temperatures have been cooling for about the past five years. Probably partially attributed to the Sun, but I think most of this is due to the Pacific going into it’s “cold phase” of the PDO (Pacific Decadal Oscillation) and now the Atlantic also going into it’s cooler phase of the AO (Atlantic Oscillation), both of which has a strong influence on Global Temperatures. Even several members of the IPCC working group have stated they think this cooling may last well into the next decade.

Weather patterns come and go, we’re just on a downward trend for the time being. I’m a strong believer in natural cycles of which we still don’t have an understanding of their mechanisms.

ABOUT

Like any meteorologist, John Wheeler is intrigued by extremes of weather, especially arctic air outbreaks and winter storms. John says he prefers his summers to be hot but in winter, he prefers the cold. John has been a meteorologist at WDAY since May 1985.